


Bound To The Earth

by Anonymous



Series: MC Works By RI Anon [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Ghost!Dream, Ghostbur, Gore, blood warning, does the first chapter count as gore idk, dream fucking dies, i dont know what to tag i'll add more later, no there is definitly, winged!phil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Even with a sword pinning him to the frozen ground, it was oddly peaceful. With each uncertain breath, he watched with fuzzy eyes as it twirled and rose before dispersing into the cold air. Hot blood and a ripped hoodie kept him warm, even if only slightly. With every inhale, the sharp blade in his torso cut at his innards just a bit more, as if to remind him of his coming fate.Dream could no longer feel his hands, from the biting cold or the blood loss he didn’t know. The taste of iron coated his tongue, his teeth, and trickled down his chin. Without even the strength to move his head, his tounge felt heavy like lead. Dream couldn’t help but wonder if he would drown in his own blood before he could lose enough to succumb to it. He guessed he would find out soon enough.____________________________________________________________________________In the dead of night, several pings unanimously rang out across a country, and far out in the snow, a body cooled.The message would not be read in the morning, or the morning after. Buried by chat, it would not be seen until the appearance of a ghost.____________________________________________________________________________
Series: MC Works By RI Anon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113482
Comments: 153
Kudos: 1534
Collections: Anonymous





	1. What I Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Im not too good at writing, so If you decide to read this, prepare for terrible everything and cringe. 
> 
> Not me putting this as anonymous (I better fucking put this in the right collection or i'm deleting myself) bc i can't stand the fact that people could read this and know who i am 👀👅👀 even if it's just my account.
> 
> I have a really bad habit of jumping to different topics at random when i talk, and it's kinda shown in my writing, sorry for that.  
> If people start reading this i'm definitely going to make it at least somewhat better because i'd be disappointing self-  
> This is unedited. 
> 
> Sorry it's short.

**_They caught me off guard._ **

_Twisting to face behind him, he summoned his shield just in time to block the incoming attack. His axe rose to catch the sword that swiped down for a fatal blow, the low clang of netherite hitting netherite grating in his ears. Dodging an incoming arrow, Dream looked up to observe his attackers, a jolt of shock running through him as he saw their faces._

**_I… don’t remember who they are._ **

_“ ? ?”_

_**It’s blurred, it’s all blurred. I can’t see their faces, I can’t remember why cant i remember.** _

_He called out to them in confusion. They didn’t answer. They instead chose to charge, one nocking an arrow and the other once more bringing down their sword to slash at him._

**_I could have fought back, and I know I should have. I could have gotten rid of them. But… why does the thought make my chest hurt?_ **

_It was two against one. Two that he could have taken down if he tried. His hesitance to do so put him at a disadvantage, as they saw that and only attacked more ruthlessly. Dream was bound to tire eventually. Block, parry, block, dodge, attack, block. Blood dripped lazily from his shoulder where an arrow had just barely missed its mark. He didn’t worry about it any longer when it was ripped out by unmerciful hands._

**_They killed me, in the end._ **

**_…I don’t feel resentful towards them._ **

_With labored breath and sweat dripping down his neck despite the cold, Dream swung at the black hair male’s side. His axe ripped through flesh left uncovered by armor, diving deep and leaving a thin coat of red on the purple gloss of enchanted netherite. A small shriek of surprise and pain echoed throughout the tree as the man retreated, instead replaced by the brunette as he chugged a potion of instant healing. The slightest sliver of guilt bubbled up in his throat, but Dream swallowed the feeling._

_Busy with the brunette, he didn’t hear when the raven hair male snuck back up behind him. Eyes wide behind a cracking mask, Dream gasped as pain like molten lava burned across his back. He half turned to look behind him, stumbling back and falling to prop himself up against the tree beside him, only to tumble to the earth as an arrow is shot through his knee. A scream threatens to rip from his throat as rocks and sticks dig into the large gash reaching across his back. It instead comes out as a pained wheeze that is more comparable to the dying breath of an animal. The attack had stopped, but the battle had not yet been won. The looming figure drawing closer splashed panic into his being._

_Dream struggled to get up, the wound on his back flaring in objection with every little movement. The figure crouched over his fallen body, sword in hand. The was the black haired boy, hate drawn clear in his body language, grasping dream by the collar and ignoring his sounds of pain as he pulled him up. The boy lent in close, whispers curling around his ear as words, sharp and honest dug into his heart. Dream was given no time to react before the raven haired boys sword was buried deep into his stomach and into the earth, pinning him to it’s cold surface. White hot pain lit every nerve on fire, blinding him. When his vision cleared, he was alone. The snow around him was red with blood, and far out of reach, his axe sat innocently in it’s embrace._

**_I don’t remember the moment I died... I don’t remember a lot of things._ **

_As night overcame the lands, a boy stood. Looking down to a bloodied figure, watching as the wind played with the dead man’s hair. The boy knew who he was. The boy knew what he was. Pale green eyes stared unblinking into the forest. Wisps of blue and grey and yellow peered out from behind one of the trees. Two ghosts met in a spruce forest. One with wisps of blue and grey and yellow, the other with blue and gray and green._

**_I do remember when I met Ghostbur. Ghostbur is nice._ **

_Ghostbur peered curiously over at a young ghost. He had never met another ghost before, maybe they would like to be friends? He had come looking for more blue, but blue was hard to find in the winter, Ghostbur had never had to come so far out in the woods. He was glad he did though, because he might have just found something much better than blue! He floated out from behind his tree, making sure to keep at least five inches from the snow. He would like to not melt at the moment, thank you. Approaching the young ghost, Ghostbur thought he looked familiar, but he was sure he had never seen the teen in front of him before._

_“Hello.” He said gently. He didn’t want to scare away a potential friend._

_The teen did not respond so Ghostbur looked at him closer. Pale blond hair was messy on the boy's head, reaching just to the middle of his neck. Green eyes held unknown emotions as they stared back into his own. He was wrapped up in a dark green hoodie that was far too large for his small frame, paired with grey jeans._

_“I’m Ghostbur, what’s your name?” Ghostbur had floated just in front of the other before stopping, giving the shorter a smile._

_The other still did not respond, but his green eyes softened. The boy reached forward and gently grasped Ghostburs larger hand in his own, lightly shrugging his shoulders and giving a small, weary smile. Ghostbur looked down at their connected hands with surprise, but did not mind._

_“You don’t remember?” The blond just gave another small shrug._

_“That’s alright! Do you mind if I just call you green?” That gained a small head tilt from the teen._

_“Because of your hoodie.” Ghostbur explained, grinning sheepishly._

_“Sorry, I’ve been told I’m not so good at naming sometimes. You seem like you’re new.” The newly named Green nodded his head shyly and Ghostbur began gently tugging the other in the direction of L’manburg._

_He didn’t notice the body nestled in the snow a little ways away, chatting quietly to his new friend who remained silent, a look of admiration in his eyes as he listened to Ghostbur ramble on about meaningless topics._

_**Ghostbur gave me this journal to write about what I remembered. I remember the important things, like my death. I remember the kind things, and bad things. I don’t remember the people. Ghostbur is important. Ghostbur is my friend. I’m glad I remember Ghostbur. I don’t know if ghosts forget, but I want to keep remembering, so I write it here.** _


	2. New People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *PHILZA HAS JOINED THE GAME*  
> *TECHNOBLADE HAS JOINED THE GAME*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I'M GOING TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST I STARTED THIS BOOK WHILE I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED AT 4 AM.
> 
> *It might go downhill from here, I'll do my best to make this story like what I imagined. I made a few mistakes with clarity and places in the first chapter but I'm trying to make everything make sense lmfao. I also sincerely apologize about how ooc some people might be, i don’t get it right sometimes.
> 
> *If you have any questions about what i mean in certain parts of this chapter, i'll be happy to clarify, and it'll help me know where i need to go back and make things clearer. There are holes in my story, and I would like to patch them.
> 
> *The theme of my writing today is it currently being 3:24 am as of typing this and I have a sudden burst of motivation. Have fun reading, I hope all goes well because after typing this note I'm writing the rest of the chapter.
> 
> Short but I'll update often

The scratch of a quill against paper stopped as he wrote the last line, careful not to get any excess ink on the table as he put it down quietly. Poking at the ink impatiently as it dried, Green left small smudges on the paper, waiting for the moment he could close his journal. When it finally was dry enough to do so, he carefully tucked the book into a nearly full chest placed in the corner. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

They’d passed through a place called ‘L’manburg’ the night of his death. Ghostbur had pointed out houses and listed off the people they belonged to. Green remembered a few, but he’d mostly been distracted by everything else around him.

They’d moved past a tree with lights that sparkled and shone bright against the night’s darkness. Past looming walls and a long path he hoped to explore in the future. Ghostbur had held his hand as he led him through a glowing portal, and Green would have really liked to see more of the familiar purple swirls it held. When they arrived in the nether, Green didn’t look around much. The nether comforted him with the fact that he remembered it well.

They left the nether through a different portal and were greeted by fresh snow. Green didn’t enjoy the chill in the air, but didn’t mind. Ghostbur, Green noticed, seemed to have an aversion to the snow, floating a safe distance from it, and protested worriedly when he stepped in it. When what Ghostbur apparently thought would happen, didn’t, the taller let out a relieved sigh. Green was left without an explanation, but that was alright. He held Ghostbur’s hand just a bit tighter after that.

Ghostbur once again took the lead, and shortly after, they arrived at a small house. Green was told this is where Ghostbur stayed. It was empty, but still warm. The soft glow of embers in the fireplace brought Green comfort when he looked at them. The older ghost had pushed a book and quill into his hands, the smell of fresh paper filled their pages. Brought to a room he presumed to be Ghostbur’s, Green was asked to write what he remembered, so he did.

This brought him to where he was now, sitting by himself, ink smudged across pale grey fingertips, and wondering where his friend went. Standing, Green nervously cracked open the door, looking out down the hall to the living room they went through. Hushed voices reached his ears, and Green could faintly hear Ghostbur talking to someone. ‘Probably whoever else lives here.’ His non-existent brain supplied. He had noticed little things walking in that didn’t look like they belonged to his wispy friend. Ghostbur didn’t seem to carry weapons, and didn’t really come off to him as the fighting type, so the whetstone left out on the counter didn’t seem to be his. A few grey and black feathers scattered around were too big to be a regular bird’s, and last Green checked, Ghostbur did not have wings. Green was sure he would notice.

Green was new to being a ghost, he didn’t know how to float, and didn’t want to risk getting stuck trying to go through something. He likes being able to move, thank you. Creaking open the door, Green padded down the hall, shoes soundless as he walked. There was nothing to make noise, after all. As the voices got louder, he realized there were two people speaking he didn’t recognize.

“-ill, I’m telling you, it’s not possible! No one on the server has died recently, and no one new has joined. You know everyone on the server already, surely you understand that finding a ghost you don’t recognize just… wouldn’t happen, right?” The voice was tired, and a little confused. Green thought that was fair, the moon was out, that means it’s night, and night is when people sleep.

 _“But Phil, I haven’t seen him before… He doesn’t remember his name, either. I found him whilst out looking for more blue, and he died recently so I went up to him-”_ Ghostbur sounded a bit upset that this ‘Phil’ didn’t believe him. Green didn’t think he liked when his friend sounded upset.

“Why don’t you go get him, maybe we can clear things up if we talk to him.” Ghostbur was interrupted by a voice that sent a small thrum of familiarity up the back of Green’s skull, but he couldn’t place where he knew it. It was lower, flat, and held a bored undertone, like the speaker wanted the conversation to be over with.

Poking his head around the corner, Green peered into the living room, observing the two new people standing in front of Ghostbur. The source of the feathers he saw were found as green eyes latched onto a pair of wings tucked neatly against the back of a blonde man. He seemed a couple inches taller than himself, wearing an oddly shaped green and white striped hat. Green couldn’t see his face fully, but noticed the stubble on his chin, and small frown tugging on the corner of his lips.

The man next to the wing man, as Green decided to call him, was a pink haired man with a few oddities. Poking out from under his bottom lips were two noticeable…tusks? Green thought of the piglins he saw when they passed through the nether. Pig man’s hair was long, and pulled back in a loose braid. He was draped in a large red cloak, and he was standing to where Green could see the thick fur lining the inside. A gold crown sat on his head, and he saw pointed ears peeking out behind his hair.

Pig man was the first to notice him. He looked Green straight in the eyes, and Green couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. The pinkette didn’t say anything, merely tapped wing man on the shoulder, and nodded in Green’s direction. He resisted the urge to duck away and out of sight. He caught eyes with Ghostbur and the spirit immediately lit up, floating over to Green as the winged man looked at him with thoughtful eyes.

With the yellow clad ghost next to him, Green stepped out fully into view.


	3. You Might Be Here For A While

When he and Phil came back from gathering wood late into the night, he expected to feed a few logs to the fire and maybe sit down with a book while the older man went to sleep. Maybe he’d finally get around to patching up the hole in one of his cloaks where a skeleton had managed to pin to a tree. Kicking the snow off his boots on the stairs, Techno dropped four stacks of wood out of his inventory and into the chest next to them. He heard Phil do the same as he started up the stairs, brushing the snow that had fallen into his hair and on his cloak off as he pushed open the door. A pleasant warmth hit him in the face.

Ghostbur looked over when he heard the door open, a wide grin on his face. Phil walked in behind him and Techno heard the tired man sigh in relief.

_“Hello, Phil! Hello, Techno!”_ The ghost greeted happily. Techno gave him a small wave.

“Hey Ghostbur.” Phil wasn’t as enthusiastic as the dead man, but gave the other a smile. Striding over to the still hot coals, Techno took the three logs he kept and let them grow to their original size before tossing them into the fireplace. Grabbing his flint and steel, he lit them and stepped back.

_“You’ll never guess what happened earlier, Phil!”_ Phil gladly took up his place in front of the fire. The shuffling of feathers was heard as the blonde’s wings puffed and opened a bit to absorb more heat. Ghostbur floated over, half phasing through the chimney and looking down to the older.

“What happened earlier, Will?” Phil hummed, yawning a bit after he spoke. On the other side of the room, the pink-haired man picked up the whetstone he forgot to put back, half listening to the conversation. It disappeared into his inventory, and Techno moved over to the couch in search of his book.

_“I met someone new today! And they’re a ghost, like me Phil! Isn’t that exciting?”_ Ghostbur chirped.

That sure got Techno’s full attention.

_________________________________________________________________________

Staring at the two ghosts in front of him, the hybrid could feel a headache coming on. Techno could just feel Phil’s intense stare on the new person in the room, trying to figure out who he was. The house was silent besides the quiet crackles of the fire.

_“This is Green,”_ Ghostbur said, nudging the smaller ghost in front of him. Green didn’t say anything, but gave a nervous wave their way. His pale eyes met Techno’s for a second before darting back to the floor. Phil stepped forward first, hand outstretched awkwardly, unsure if Green would even be able to interact with him.

“Hello Green, I’m Philza, and that’s Technoblade. You can just call me Phil if you want.” The older blonde gave the younger a friendly smile. Green made no move to take his hand, instead, he looked behind the man with a distracted gaze. Phil dropped his hand when he realized the boy wouldn’t take it, sending a confused glance behind him. “Oh!” Phil felt a bit dumb. If Green really was a newly dead ghost, there was a chance he’d forgotten about what hybrids were, if he’d ever seen one while alive. Phil wasn’t sure about ghosty stuff but he felt the thought was fair. Stretching one wing out in front of him, he let Green get a better look at his feathers.

“You’ve probably never seen someone like me, huh? That’s understandable.” Green didn’t seem talkative, but if his wings were something the kid was interested in, Phil would use it to his advantage.

_____

Techno didn’t know how to feel at Phil’s actions. On one hand, this ‘Green’ seemed nervous, and acted like he wouldn’t be talking to them any time soon. The ghost looked interested in Phil’s wings, and they could use that fact to get him more comfortable with them. They needed to know how he got onto the server, and if they could find out who Green was before his death, that’d be a bonus.

On the other hand, Green was an unfamiliar being. They didn’t know if he could fight, or how much damage he would do if he did. Techno knew the ghost had an advantage if it came to it. Green was already dead, there was nothing to kill, nothing to stop him from simply going through their attacks. Techno didn’t like the possibility that the way Green had been acting could be fake. While he knew Phil could take care of himself, there was also that he didn’t seem at all cautious that he was exposing one of his most vulnerable parts. The man could be grounded with just one too many feathers yanked out.

Techno decided to be careful.

____________________________________________________________________________

Green now knew that the pink haired man was ‘Technoblade’, and the nice man with wings was ‘Phil’. He didn’t really have an opinion on Technoblade because he hadn’t said anything, but Green thought Phil was nice.

Phil must have seen him staring at his wings earlier because he’d let Green look at his feathers. Green thought they were pretty. Now that he had gotten a better look, he saw they were a darker grey he thought they were. Little spots of black and dark brown dotted the areas further towards the man’s back, and most feathers were striped near the ends.

Green was reminded of the fluffy little gold feathers he saw occasionally on the ground when they went through the place called L’manburg. He’d wanted to pick them up, but Ghostbur didn’t pause long enough for him to do so.

Phil pulling his wing back released him from his thoughts. Taking a quick look around, Green realized Ghostbur was gone from his side. Turning around in a full circle, he couldn’t find him. Poking his head into the hall, Green didn’t see the look exchanged between the two men behind him.

Opening his mouth to call for his friend out of instinct, Green was mildly surprised when no blood came out. He was sure it had been filled with blood before, why else wouldn’t he have talked? He brushed it aside, he’d figure it out later.

_“‘Bur?”_ Green grimaced, placing a hand on his throat. It felt like someone took a cheese grater to his vocal cords then submerged them in a thick jelly. Yeah, he wasn’t trying that again any time soon. A head popped out of the wall next to him.

_“Green! You spoke, that’s great! Though I wouldn’t recommend it for a while. I was unsure if it was the same for everyone, but I also had a hard time talking when I first died. Maybe it’s just a dead thing.”_ Ghostbur floated the rest of the way through the wall.

Green nodded.

Behind him, Techno shifted, unclasping his cloak and hanging it by the door. Slipping off his boots, he shuffled over to the couch and picked up his book that had somehow fallen behind it. Green turned his attention to him.

“If he can’t talk for awhile, we’ll have to wait till he can. Making him write everything down would just be annoying for both him and us, but if it comes down to it we could.” Techno said, plopping down on the couch and flipping to the page he marked. “I think you should get some sleep, Phil, it’s late.”

The bird hybrid wordlessly agreed, hanging his cloak next to Techno’s. As he started towards his room, he looked over at Green.

“Make yourself at home, you might be here a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna go eat some can corn now. I kinda rambled on the 'on one hand on the other' thing but i don't feel like fixing it. This isn't as long as i hoped it would be, but it'll do.
> 
> And, how make dialogue for man? For our good father Philza? How does he SPEAK? what does he say and why???? I don't know.
> 
> This was gonna have so much MORE, but I didn't know how to put it in and it's was going to be COOL and DRAMATIC, but it is didn't happen.   
> sad but that means i can put it in later and still post this chapter👀? pog?


	4. Small Blue Flames?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEARS GUYS!!! :D  
> It just so happens to also be my birthday and i am oh so very happy to be one year closer to death.  
> To celebrate, i'm typed out a chapter. pog.  
> I hope 2021 goes better.  
> Remember to drink water, and don't put off eating.  
> Remember you are loved, and always will be, even in your hardest times.  
> Good luck guys, for the new year. Let's hope we don't need it.  
> I love you all ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
> 
> And quick question: would y’all be opposed to good ghost schlatt 👀? Good!Glatt

Green was unsure what to do. Technoblade had gone to sleep an hour ago, and Ghostbur told him he needed to go check up on someone. The name ‘Tommy’ was unfamiliar, just like everyone else he'd met. Ghostbur seemed both excited and worried, so Green didn’t kick up much fuss when he left.

The logs in the fireplace were nearly all the way burnt through. Green had dipped his hands into the fire earlier and found that it still jumped to eat away flesh that wasn’t there. It didn’t get far up his arms with almost nothing for fuel beside whatever he was made up of. It, surprisingly, wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. It warmed his cold hands, and he had been tempted to just step straight in, but decided it may not be a good idea.

Looking out to the dark, snow covered field, Green spotted a chest next to the stairs. A small spruce sign labeled in neat writing said _‘Wood only. Stop putting cobblestone in here.’_ on the front of it.

Maybe he could add some wood to the fire. They were in the middle of a snow biome, surely it would get too cold?

Though Green was a ghost who was naturally very cold already, he enjoyed the temperature of the house. There was also the fact that Phil and Technoblade were, in fact, not dead, and could therefore get cold.

Green creaked open one of the doors just enough to slip through before shutting it behind him. A tingle ran up his spine at the sudden change of temperature, but he got used to the cold in seconds. Must have been a ghost thing.

His worn leather boots came in contact with snow covered stairs, and Green made sure not to slip. Absentmindedly glancing out to the surrounding spruce forest, something between the trees caught his eye. A soft light blue glow flickered in and out of existence, as though playfully hiding and reappearing from behind the trees. Green kept his gaze on the odd flame for a few seconds more, before reaching the bottom of the stairs and turning away to unlatch the chest.

Retrieving a few logs from the many stacks, Green glazed back to the trees. Instead of one, two danced along the treeline, closer than before, as though becoming him forward. Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from those pretty little balls of light, Green half jogged up the stairs, glad he didn’t make noise.

Slipping back inside, Green placed the logs on the fire, blowing on the dimming flame to get it to light the new wood. As soon as it was burning well, Green opened the door back up. Jumping from the top of the stairs to the snowy ground, he took great amusement in the small flurry of snow it caused.

Looking back to the trees, he found the lights still there. They flickered and shone brightly, like they knew he was on his way. Looking behind him, Green grinned at the light footsteps he left behind. He always did love the snow. Turning back to the trees, something bubbled in his chest.

He didn’t know what it was, but there was something in the way the stars bounded back at him from the snow. The way trees loomed over him in the distance, stuffed between their smaller brethren. The way darkness cast itself like a thick blanket over the earth, only to be dispersed by the warm glow of the moon. It was something about being alone in the dark, without fear of mobs or being attacked. It was the way small blue flames filled him with such joy and he didn’t even know why.

It was like just their presence picked and chose his feelings, tearing away at the bad and multiplying the good ten times over. Maybe it did, and if that was the case, he didn’t care. It was like meeting family long gone, and getting to wrap your arms around them.

Green slid to a halt just in front of where the snow thinned, snow instead collecting on the needles of tree branches. He hadn’t even realized he had been running. In front of him, mere meters away were two globs of floating blue fire. They couldn’t have been more than four inches tall.

Small spherical heads of dark blue were consumed by a lighter shade of sky blue. Their bodies were the same color as their heads, with little rounded arms and no legs, it reminded Green of little cartoon ghosts he remembered drawing as a child. Like a child wearing their bed sheet, but with its body getting thinner towards the head, there was the impression of a neck.

Overall, the fire covered beings looked like little drawn ghosts. With small, white oval eyes staring unblinking up at him, Green suddenly felt uneasy. Something itched ferociously at the back of his skull.

_Dream could barely turn his head, but he managed to anyway. The wheeze of blood in his throat and now his lungs pitiful even to him. Barley seen in the snow was a mask, barely held together. It must have slipped off as he fell. Maybe he forgot to tighten the straps. Dark, unblinking eyes stared back at him-_

A nudge to his cheek snapped him out of- whatever the hell that was. 

The contact to his ~~_(bare)_~~ face warmed where it touched. ~~_That’s not right, where is my mask? Where is my mask? I should have it._~~

Green _~~(Green? Who is green? That’s not my name)~~_ reached up, cupping the small creature in his hand. It seemed delighted, nuzzling up to him as the other came floating over happily. Green soon had two small beings of light and warmth snuggled in his hood. They leaned against his neck, oval eyes curved in content. What looked like flames that curled from their body didn’t feel like actual fire, but acted like it, and was almost identical warmth wise. They actually seemed to be made from nearly the same stuff as him.

No wonder the trees weren’t set ablaze by now. While the little blue creature may be hot enough to melt some of the snow around them, fire can’t catch if there is no fire. Green huffed softly through his nose. Maybe Ghostbur knew what they were.

When Green started walking back to the house, the little spirits (he didn’t have a better name for them yet) in his hood didn’t move, so he assumed they’d be staying with him. He was fine with that, but he didn’t know what the others would do. Green hoped they would let the little spirits stay.

After a few minutes of walking, Green was safely back inside. The warm air of the house greeted him and he made sure the fire was doing good before sitting carefully on the couch, waiting for someone else to wake up. The little spirits eventually wandered out of his hood, and he watched them just to make sure they actually couldn't burn anything. They found a cozy place in the fire, the red flames dancing harmlessly around them. Green merely watched them until the sun rose.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Green, mate, what the hell are those!?” At the sound of Phil’s voice green whipped his head to the direction of the hall, eyes wide.


	5. Pancakes And Death Messages

Phil’s eyes were locked onto the weird little blue creatures in the fireplace. He didn’t know what the hell they were, and by the way he saw Green awkwardly staring at him through his perifial, he wasn’t going to. Rubbing his face with his hand, Phil half turned to Green, but held his gaze on the things that stood (floated? They don’t even have legs.) stock-still in the fire.

“Where did they come from?” He asked. Green motioned out the window, and Phil took a quick look at where the green ghost was pointing. The forest? Phil frowned a bit.

“Did they just… appear? I’ve never seen anything like them in the forest out there before, it wouldn’t make sense for them to just randomly spawn in now.” Phil took a curious step forward. If he needed to defend himself, he had his sword and a shield in his inventory.

“Are they friendly?” Green nodded excitedly at his inquiry, padding over to the fire and scooping the little creatures out. Phil was pleasantly surprised at how much more relaxed the young ghost seemed with his presence.

The red and orange flames of the fire seemed to drip off the blue creatures like water, falling back into the fireplace like it temporarily had become a liquid. Phil wasn’t gonna lie, it was kinda weird. The one of the things let out a coo as they realized Phil wasn’t a threat to them. It was creepily similar to that of a ghast and he didn’t know how to feel about that.

Green seemed a bit surprised at the sound as well, giving them a look of ‘you make noise!?’ Phil watched as the ghost moved closer to him, stopping a couple feet in front of him and suddenly looking a little hesitant. The little blue things were huddled against greens stomach, where the boy had decided to hold his cupped hands. Green motioned for him to hold out his hands, and Phil didn’t know what he expected but before he knew it, the two creatures were plopped carefully into them.

“Oh my god.” Phil muttered in surprise. He shifted the small beings so he knew they wouldn’t fall. They moved around a bit, turning to face Phil and looking up at him with little dot eyes. Now that he looked closer, they were made of the same things as Ghostbur and Green. The little flame-like wisps they put off would curl and disappear into the air. The spirits gave off heat. It was like holding a small flame contained in glass. Glass that didn’t heat up past a temperature comfortable for touching, but could be considered hot.

While Phil was distracted with the spirits, Green moved down the hall and into Ghostbur’s room. Reaching into the chest in the corner, Green pulled out the quill he used for his journal, as well as ripping a couple blank pages from the back of his book.

Green closed the chest, and his eyes wandered around the room out of curiosity. In the other corner of the room was a dark blue bed. It looked brand new, like it had never been slept in. Green supposed it hadn’t. A guitar leaned against the frame. It had a thin layer of dust covering its surface, like it hadn’t been touched since it was placed there. Green plucked one of the stings, listening to the soft hum of the note that rang out.

On the desk where he wrote his journal, there were multiple jars. The glass of many had been stained blue with the dust inside. Most seemed empty, and ones that had any dust in them barely did. A couple were filled with stones, small and oval. Green thought they were very pretty. They were a nice sky color, though some looked darker than the rest. There were a few oddities among them. Green spotted a muddy yellow through the blue, and a green that looked more brown than green was seen to the side of the jar.

Green left the room and went back to Phil. The sight that greeted him was the winged man rubbing one of the spirits heads, the other nudging the first impatiently. Phil was looking on in amusement, legs crossed and wings spread out over the couch where he sat. The small being seemed to be enjoying the attention it received. P. Green huffed out a laugh, alerting Phil to his presence. He gave the young ghost a grin, spotting the writing materials in the others hands.

“Hey, you’re back! I was wondering where you went. Did you go to Ghostbur’s room to find that?” Phil stopped petting the spirit, switching to the other, much to the disappointment of the first. Green nodded, scribbling down a quick message before padding over and handing to the other. The two spirits reluctantly floated up, deciding to hang around Green, but not yet landing on him. Phil stared blankly for a moment at the spirits before taking the paper.

_‘When is Ghostbur gonna be back?’_

Phil hummed, thinking. “I dunno, but Techno should be up soon and we can ask him to message him. I’d do it myself, but I left my communicator at home and haven’t gotten around to making a new one.”

Phil stood up, shaking his wings out a bit before folding again. A couple small feathers fell and the man picked them up. Green watched as they disappeared into Phil’s inventory. The kitchen, dining room, and living room were connected, and he watched the other shuffle over to the stove, wondering what he should make.

“I’m gonna make breakfast, do you have any preferences?” Phil didn’t know if Green could eat, or if he even needed to, but it didn’t hurt to ask. Ghostbur didn’t need to eat, but one couldn’t be sure of everything based on one ghost.

Green thought for a second. He wasn’t hungry, but wondered if he could still eat. Shaking his head, Green passed the older man another quick note.

_‘Can I help?’_

Phil beamed at the specter, “Of course! Let’s just go with pancakes, they’re simple enough. Can you grab the flour from the cupboard for me?”

Phil grabbed a pan and three plates while Green looked for the flour. Grasping the large jar near the back of the top shelf, Green slid it closer to him for a better hold. Catching it when it fell off the shelf accidentally, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Phil collected stuff to measure and mix everything while Green got more ingredients. After mixing everything together, Phil let Green make a few special pancakes. He enjoyed creating disproportionate animals from the batter and watching them cook into weird, but well made blobs.

Phil used up the rest of the batter, putting the pancakes in a stack on one of the plates. Green found out that he could eat, and it gave him a bit more energy, but was overall unnecessary.

Technoblade entered the room as they were finishing up, looking groggy. His eyes flickered to the spirits still wandering around Green’s head. He didn’t question it, but Phil caught the look thrown his way that meant he was going to explain later.

“Morning, Techno.” Phil greeted, putting down the plates at the table and going back for the pancakes. Green was there when he turned around, handing the older the plate of pancakes. Phil thanked him wordlessly, taking it and putting it down. “We made breakfast.

“Mornin’” The piglin hybrid mumbled.

“If you don’t mind, could you message wi- Ghostbur when he’s gonna be back?” Phil asked. Techno nodded, pulling out his communicator from his inventory and turning it on.

_You whispered to wilbursoot: When will you be back._

_Wilbursoot whispered to you: Soon :D Tommy is coming with me! He said he wants to see Phil_

_Wilbursoot whispered to you: I told him about Green earlier and he wants to meet him as well_

_Wilbursoot whispered to you: We’re actually quite close, we should be there in ten to fifteen minutes :)_

_You whispered to wilbursoot: K_

As he was about to close his communicator, techno noticed something above an argument from last night in the world chat. The text of the first name was glitched to all hell, as well as the second. It was squished between a heated debate between three people about something Techno didn’t bother to read.

Squinting, he tried to make out what it said.

“Ghostbur said that Tommy and him will both be here in ten to fifteen minutes.” He said distractedly.

“Hey Phil, can you read what this says, it’s too glitched to make out.” Techno handed his com to Phil, who took it curiously. Reading the message, his eyebrows furrowed.

“This is a death message, Techno.” Phil’s voice was low as eyes met his and Techno nodded. He saw the older man toss a glance at the ghost of the room who was messing around with those weird blue blobs.

Phil stared hard at the name on the screen, only barely able to make out the text.

↸ ̸̨͇̠̄͠r̴̪̺̐́̐ ̴̳̭̿e̴͚̭̠̊ ̷̱̣̐͋ᔑm̵̱̦͝͠ ̶̗̻̐̐̚ ̶̜͓͑ ̴̛̜̤͜ ̶̧̟̦̀̕̕ ̷̘͙̘́ ̸̲̟̱͗̄ ̶͚̱̂͝ was slain by ̴̭̕̕ ̸̩̑̇ ̷͈͉̾͐͜ ̴͓̣̈́s̶̫̫̽̾́ ̴̡̼̃̆̌l̴̨̞̩͆̇̂ ̸͕̉?̶̪̚;̶͍̯̍̿'̵̝̐̽ ̸̜̬͗!̸̗̕ ̵͍͊͋

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna update yesterday but woke up and just forgot everything as I waited for my package to arrive. When it got here it was already 4 pm so I spent like an hour trying to tune it, and proceeded to go to bed bc my sleep schedule is fucked. :) i like it tho.
> 
> Can i just say, i imagine holding the wisps gives you the same feeling as when you hold like, a kitten. Monke brain says ‘oh ho HO? Bb kity so soft protect snuggle.’ And you just can’t resist. 
> 
> If you want an explanation for why the coms weren't pinging all night because of the argument not really relevant to the plot, it's because everyone has it set so unless there's a death message or direct message to you, you don't get pinged. If you want everyone to get a message you sent, you type /all in this universe.


	6. Dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHH GUYS I’VE LEARNED ‘YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE’ IT’S ONLY THREE CORDS BUT IT’S THE FIRST SONG I’VE LEARNED :D I’M IMPROVING!!!!! 
> 
> I ALSO WANT TO SAY I FOUND OUT HOW TO USE THE CAPS LOCK :)  
> I WANT TO GIVE YOU ALL BIG HUGS YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET IN THE COMMENTS I LOVE YOU <3 <3 <3 
> 
> The plot is kicking in just a bit more! That’s why the last chapter was around 300 words more, even though it didn’t feel like it :D This chapter is shorter, but i’m going to start writing longer chapters after this, in exchange for updating every day/other day to just every other day.

Phil froze. Green, noticing the man’s state, tilted his head. The spirits drifted over to see what was wrong and Phil’s gaze met Green’s.

“Dream?” The name tumbled from his mouth before Phil could think about what he was saying. Green blinked in surprise, familiarity flashing in his eyes for a split second before confusion replaced it.

Technoblade looked at Phil like he’d gone mad, gently taking the communicator from his hands and rereading the death message. Sure enough, now that he had an idea of what it was, the name was much clearer. Something sunk in his chest. Red eyes flicked up to Green. Dream. Green’s identity was finally revealed, and he wasn’t just some random kid that had somehow stumbled unto the server and gotten killed.

This was Dream. Techno didn’t know what to feel. To know that his rival, someone who he could at least in some regard consider a friend, was dead. The fact that someone had managed to kill Dream. Techno saw Phil put his head in his hands, nervously pushing back his hair as he looked at the confused ghost of Dream.

Techno watched Dream scribble out a short message, hesitantly holding it out for them to read. Though it was more directed towards Phil than him.

 _‘Are you guys okay? Who’s Dream?’_ it read. Phil was the first to pipe up, after a few tense seconds or silence.

“Ah. Well…” He hesitated. “You’re Dream. Or, well, that’s who you were before you uh…” Phil coughed awkwardly, leaving the rest of his sentence up in the air. Dream looked away from them, shifting in discomfort. He wrote something else, scribbling out the precious message like he had done the others.

 _‘Did you know me? What was I like before…?’_ Phil waved a hand in front of him.

“I never really interacted with you much. But Techno did, and so did Ghostbur and Tommy. You haven’t met Tommy yet, but he’ll be here with Ghostbur in a bit.” Techno sent a quick glare to the oldest as Phil shifted Dream’s focus to him.

Dream’s green eyes stared into his soul. Techno sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We were acquaintances at most. We usually only sparred, maybe talk a bit.” He didn’t mention the fact that they talked more than ‘a bit’. Dream would constantly be seeking him out, annoying him with useless chatter and bothering him until he got a response. Techno would never admit to it if asked, but he did enjoy the company.

 _‘Oh.’_ Dream seemed to deflate at his answer, probably looking for a more detailed response.

“Yeah.” The conversation was left at that. Green (or “Dream”? He didn’t really know what to refer to himself as anymore.) was still curious, but decided Technoblade didn’t seem to be the type to like a lot of questions. Maybe he could ask Ghostbur when he got back with that Tommy person Phil was talking about. 

For the next ten minutes, Green caught the two living people of the house shooting glances his way. At one point he thought he heard Phil whisper to Technoblade.

“What are we going to tell Tommy?” It was faint, and Green wondered what his relationship with Tommy was, when he was alive. Green went to the living room after that. The spirits followed, taking residence in his hood once again.

When the door opened and Ghostbur floated in, Green gave him a halfhearted wave. The yellow ghost gave him a worried look at his lack of enthusiasm, stepping aside to let a tired looking blonde in. The teen gave Green one look and his eyebrows sprung up in surprise, a shit-eating grin making its way onto his face.

“Holy shit!” The kid laughed, sudden and loud. It sent an unknown wave of guilt laden familiarity through his chest, making his take a small step back. “I thought Ghostbur was joking when he said there was another ghost around!”

The teen had messy blonde hair that looked a bit dirty, and blue eyes that somewhat reminded Green of the blue stones in Ghostbur’s room. His clothes were torn in some places, but Green could see where parts had been carefully sewn up. He was covered in spots or dirt, like he’d tripped multiple times. The only clean part of his outfit was the thick, dark green cloak wrapped around his shoulders, but even that seemed to need a wash.

Green personally thought the green looked a little out of place with the red and white shirt, but if that’s what the other wanted to wear, he didn’t care.

 _“Green, this is Tommy.”_ Ghostbur introduced the teen to him. Green waved to Tommy, getting ready to write him a message when he was interrupted.

“Green’s a pretty stupid name, did Ghostbur give it to you?” Tommy crossed his arms, grinning at him.

Green let out an amused snort, nodding as Ghostbur squawked in indignation. The blonde let out another loud laugh, and Green noticed Phil walk into the room. Tommy lit up when he saw him, letting out an excited yell.

“PHILZA MINECRAFT!” Phil laughed as the boy bent slightly to wrap his arms around him in a tight hug.

“Hey Tommy. It’s been a while, hasn’t it.” Phil returned the hug, putting his head on top of the younger's head to send a look to Ghostbur. Green knew it as the ‘we need to talk’. Phil pulled away after a minute.

“Techno’s in the dining room. There are pancakes on the table if you want some, and you know where the plates are. I gotta talk to Ghostbur, mkay?” Tommy nodded, a curious glint in his eyes as he went to bother the pink haired man.

Phil watched him go, sighing when he was out of sight and turning to the older ghost as Green looked on. Green and Ghostbur had been standing to the side, Green doodling little animals and smiley faces for the other.

“We know who Green is.” Phil got straight to the point.

A wide smile spread across Ghostbur’s face. As he turned to face Phil fully, the sleeve of his sweater swiped across the fresh ink on one of Green’s smiles. Ghostbur didn’t notice, but green let out a quiet, amused huff.

 _“That’s great, Phil! We can start trying to get Green to remember stuff if someone else knows him!”_ Ghostbur said excitedly. The look on Phil’s face gave him pause, however.

“Green is Dream.” Phil was blunt. There was no use beating around the bush if it was going to come out eventually. Ghostbur paused.

 _“What?”_ Ghostbur shook his head, an emotion Green couldn’t place clear on his face. Maybe disbelief? The older ghost looked at his for a second before focusing back on Phil.

 _“Green can’t be Dream. He still has two lives, Green can’t be Dream.”_ Ghostbur repeated. Phil has been wrong before, maybe this was one of those times. Phil shook his head.

“Check your communicator.” Ghostbur did just that. He saw it when he scrolled up. There, behind near impossibly glitched text, was his name.

It was Dream’s death message alright.


	7. How To Overcome Grief In Five Minutes By TommyInnit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh?

In the other room, Tommy took a seat across from Techno. Scooting the chair forward, the boy slipped a couple pancakes from the stack and plopped them onto the plate he’d grabbed. He didn’t feel like putting anything on them, so he just stabbed right into them.

Techno watched him, taking a bite of his breakfast and observing the younger. Tommy had a small, healing cut of his cheek. The dark green cloak the boy had wrapped tightly around himself seemed to be the only thing without tears. His hair was messy and longer than when techno had last seen him. He overall looked like he needed a shower, and some clean clothes.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” The boy in question spoke up.

“You look like you need a shower.” Techno spoke his previous thoughts, watching Tommy roll his eyes at the statement.

“Oh wow, what gave you that idea? Was it the dirt?” The blond smeared some dirt from his cheek onto his finger, holding out his hand like he was going to swipe it onto the older. Techno leaned away, moving his plate to the side as to make sure none fell on his breakfast.

“I don’t want your dirt, Tommy. Put it back.” He said dryly, amusement shining in his red eyes. Tommy let out a sharp laugh, bracing his hand on the table as he bent over. He looked up with incredulous eyes.

“Put it back?” He wheezed through laughs. Techno nodded in fake seriousness, taking a bite from his pancakes as he did so. The blond was sent into another fit of laughter, wiping his hand on his pants and sending the older man a grin. Techno returned it, though smaller.

A minute passed in a comfortable silence, before Tommy piped up once more.

“Have you guys seen anything of Dream? He hasn’t been around for a while…” His tone was casual, but Techno caught the hint of nervousness the younger held. He hesitated, mulling over his answer in his head. Should he?

“I think this is a topic to discuss with Phil.” Techno decided to pin that conversation on the oldest. He didn’t feel he was the best person to break the news. Tommy sent him a suspicious look. “I think having seen someone would be something anyone could talk about, Techno. It’s really a yes or no question, why would I need to go to Phil?” Tommy stood, gathering his now empty plate and heading for the kitchen.

“It’s… complicated.” Techno did the same, the soft sound of his hooves against the wood floor as he trailed behind the blond.

Tommy scoffed. “I know Phil is wise and old and all that, but surely you’re smart enough to remember something like that.”

The piglin hybrid merely sighed, and didn’t respond. The blond huffed, but left it alone. Stepping into the kitchen, they saw Green walk in as well. He gave the pair a small wave. Tommy glanced in the direction of the living room, catching parts of the discussion between Phil and Ghostbur. They’d kept their voices lowered, but he could still hear the quiet words.

 _“How? How did no one even notice?”_ It was Ghostbur, sounding the most serious he’d been since Wilbur. It was weird.

“I don’t know. Maybe no one saw it, or if they did, they just thought it was a glitch.” Phil’s voice reached his ears. Placing his plate in the sink, Tommy took a place next to green while Techno stepped out into the living room. The air around the ghost was a little cold, but he didn’t mind. The house was warm enough that it didn’t matter much.

Green smiled faintly, and he returned it with a big grin before focusing on listening to the conversation in the other room. He couldn’t seem to hear anything else. Techno must have told them he was in the kitchen and they moved further away. This thought was brushed away when someone spoke again.

“If Dream is dead, we need to find the body, and maybe a clue to who the other person is with it.” Technoblade. He was shushed hurriedly by the other two.

“Not so loud!” Tommy didn’t know who it was. He was staring straight at Green. The young ghost was staring back with curious eyes. The ghost that didn’t look to be much older than himself, clad in a (Familiar) oversized green hoodie. There was a sword sized slash in the front that seemed more prominent than before. The small stitched smiley face in the left sleeve seemed to taunt him with it’s grin.

Green eyes stared at him in confusion now, a lot duller than last time. ~~_(A single emerald eye looked at him in mirth. The white mask on the others face had been slid down just enough to uncover one eye, and Tommy could just see the shit-eating grin on Dream’s face.)_~~ Freckles were splattered across the other’s nose and cheeks. Tommy was far from stupid. ‘Green’ was the newest ghost, and if what Techno had just said wasn’t some joke, then that meant Dream really was dead.

Ghosts don’t just pop up onto random servers. Or maybe they do, and Dream just knew how to stop them. But it wouldn't make sense if he just failed all of the sudden. He knew Dream was a capable admin, even if he’d never admit it aloud. So Green wasn’t someone outside the server.

Even through that weird thought process, one thing stayed clear. Green was wearing Dream’s hoodie. Tommy knew because he’d personally put that shitty little smiley face on the sleeve. Dream wouldn’t give up his hoodie to anyone, he wore the thing everywhere. Tommy didn’t think he’d ever even seen the other without it. He guessed that was true, even in death. He chewed the inside of his cheek.

A nudge on his shoulder knocked him from his thoughts, and he looked down at the ghost (God what a weird thought, looking down at someone usually taller than him). Dream (Green?) held up a slip of paper, ink still drying with the just written message.

 _‘You okay?’_ it read. Was he? Tommy guessed he was in a bit of shock. To think that one of the most powerful people he knew was killed? That someone, through everything that's happened, he still considered a brother, was dead? He’d lost a brother before, in the form of Wilbur, but even then. At least Ghostbur remembered. Even if it was just the good things at least he’d remembered most people.

Dream couldn’t even remember himself.

Tommy blinked slowly at the green ghost who now stood in front of him, a worried look in his eyes and a hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t bring himself to respond, merely wrapping his arms around the other and burying his face in his shoulder.

“Is it true? You’re Dream?” Hands tightened on his back, and Tommy felt the other nod hesitantly.

 _"It's what I've been told."_ A croaky voice whispered next to him. The confirmation both put him at ease, and caused his heart to drop into his stomach. There was something warm pressing against his cheek, and Tommy opened them (When had he closed them?) to a comforting blue. 

He pulled away, and so did Dream. The blue was gone. The latter still looked the slightest bit confused, but seemed to brush it away. He instead chose to console the teen about his death, something he never thought he’d hear himself think. His throat ached from use, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday.

 _‘I’m assuming we knew each other well.’_ Tommy’s reaction had been the strongest to the news so far. Something deep in his mind questioned why. The other gave Green a small, sad looking smile.

“You could say that. Most of the time you were a dick, but…” Tommy looked away. “You could be a decent person at times and we got along...”

Green snorted. It was good to know the other wouldn't soften his words to spare any feelings. Green couldn’t even feel offended.

 _‘Gee, thanks.’_ He wrote jokingly. Tommy squawked in indignation.

“I’m just telling you the truth!” He didn’t know how to explain how the older acted. Tommy didn't really know how to tell someone that they forced his best friend to exile him from the country he helped create. Or how Dream had shot him, and took his discs in exchange for said country’s freedom. Or how after all the bad, when Tommy had somewhat forgiven him, he went and died on him.

He grabbed Dream by the hand and tugged the ghost into the living room. Phil was in the middle of a sentence when he interrupted himself by clamping his mouth shut, turning to look at them like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“When were you planning on telling me, originally?” Confrontation was his strong suit, so obviously it’d be his next step. Phil shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking away.

“Telling you what?” Phil coughed into his fist, finally meeting his eyes. Tommy crossed his arms, feeling oddly like the roles were reversed for once. “About Dream.” Phil sighed at his words, wings fluffing for a second before calming down.

“We didn’t know. We were going to tell you soon, just not this soon.” The older man obviously didn’t realize how loud they’d been talking. But then again, Techno probably didn't mention he was in the kitchen.

“You weren’t really being too quiet about it.” Tommy said, blowing a few strands of hair from his eyes in annoyance. Phil smiled sheepishly.

“I guess not. Since we’re already on the topic, we need to know how to refer to him. Do you prefer Dream, or Green?” Phil motioned to Dream, trying to change the subject.

Dream shrugged when the attention was brought to him, releasing the hand Tommy forgot he’d still been holding and jotting down something for them to read.

 _“I don’t really care, either is fine. :p’_ Green personally liked the name Ghostbur gave him more, but he didn’t say anything. Said man still stood to the side with Technoblade, letting Phil handle what was going on. Phil nodded, and one of the more important problems came up.

“We’re going to have to find your body.” Phil felt that Dream at least deserved a proper funeral, so at the minimum his corpse wasn’t out in the middle of nowhere rotting for the animals. That was a fate only the worst got, and in the face of a dead man’s ghost, how could you tell them that you’d leave who they once were to decompose and never be found again?

Tommy watched as Dream perked up, patting quickly on Ghostbur’s arm multiple times. The older ghost gave him a questioning look.

 _‘It’s where you found me.’_ Dream shoved the note into Ghostbur’s hands.

 _“Oh! I remember where that is. If we go through the nether, it’ll only take an hour or two, but we’d be going straight through L’manburg after.”_ Ghostbur informed them cheerfully. Techno sighed behind them.

“We’ll have to go at night if we don’t want to get caught. Phil isn’t supposed to be here, I’m not allowed in L’manburg, and Tommy hasn’t been officially excused from exile. Not to mention we’d have to explain why we’re in the company of two ghosts rather than one.” He said, pushing himself up from where he’d been leaning on the wall.

Ghostbur nodded in agreement. Tommy furrowed his brows. “Couldn’t we just go around?” He asked. Ghostbur shook his head. _“I’m pretty sure they’ve got patrols around during the day that watch the surrounding area for stray creepers and helmeted undead.”_ Ghostbur looked a bit sheepish, _“Besides… I started my path from L’manburg, I don’t think I could find the area without going the same way.”_

Techno sighed again, dragging a hand down his face. “I’ll start gettin’ ready for if we run into anyone.”

With that, he turned and left the room. The rest of them were left in an awkward silence. “I’m sure we’ve got some extra clothes that’ll fit you if you wanna take a shower-” Phil started. “Lead The way.” Tommy agreed quickly. All that were left were Green and Ghostbur.

_“...”_

_“...”_

The two ghosts looked at each other. Ghostbur abruptly grabbed his wrist after a moment, pulling him in the direction of his room.

 _“Let’s go to my room, I can show you my blue!”_ He exclaimed. Green followed without complaint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i haven’t updated, i started drawing some fundy fanart and completely forgot i had something else to do. Last time I updated, I had an idea of a fun little side book that updates in time with this one. It would be things like How Ghostbur got so far out into the forest where he met green. Where Ghostbur went when Green was meeting Phil and Techno. Where Tommy got the cloak I mentioned in the last chapter. Stuff like that. How would you guys feel about that? It’s just to give you guys something to read while you wait, and to give some things backstory I might not fit into the book. They’d mostly be short. Sorry for the block of text. ⚠️Smaller note: Things happened differently in this universe if you haven’t noticed. So relationships will also differ. Some by a lot. Ex. Dream and Tommy had a much better relationship than in canon.⚠️ This chapter don't look a lot longer, but it's around 2,000 words compared to the usual 1,000-1,100


	8. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> magic time bay be 😜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t updated, I didn’t really have the motivation to write. This story is boring even to me with how slow it’s going :p. I’ll still be updating, but I've added this to a series bc I’m going through with my idea from my last author's note. I’ve also got ideas for other books I want to try to write that I’ll be working on. I love you guys <3

Ghostbur cracked open one of the full jars. He tipped it over and two stones rolled into his hand. He pushed one of them into Green’s palm gently, and he in turn curled his fingers around the warm rock. The sky blue of it turned a shade dark at his touch. Something tight in his chest seemed to unfurl and drift through his arm to color the stone. Green felt a little less cold.

 _“I call it ‘Blue’ but it probably has a proper name.”_ Ghostbur murmured, rolling his own stone absentmindedly between his palms. _“It’s a mixture of dye and magic. You probably haven’t discovered it yet, but ghosts have magic similar to crafting tables, if that makes sense.”_

Green looked up from his blue, observing Ghostbur’s as little swirls of navy slowly overcame its surface. He thought about the older’s words. Crafting tables held the second oldest magic known to players, just under inventory. Players eventually ‘made’ their own form of magic out of galactic ruins, learning to enchant weapons and tools. By ‘made’ he means players just threw ruins together until it either did something or backfired horribly.

Green remembered learning that players did this before anyone knew how to read the old language, much less speak it. Back when it was newly found on ancient tools and carved into the walls of old temples that hadn’t been touched in centuries. Green faintly remembered thinking as a kid that it was beyond stupid of his ancestors to mess with something they knew nothing about, but half retracted his opinion when he found out spoken galactic could be used for spells.

He’d thought about all the things people could do with spoken magic before his hopes of learning it were dashed as he was told almost no one knew how to use it correctly. An old spark of childish glee erupted into a flame as Green processed Ghostbur’s words. The older continued unprompted, much to Green’s interest.

 _“Blue takes the sadness away. It takes it and traps it under its surface. Every time I make some, it’s the light blue you saw, but sometimes it’s lighter or darker. I think it’s supposed to be clear when it hasn’t been used.”_ Ghostbur hummed, serious eyes flicking up to meet Green’s. _“Don’t let it break. Or crack. Or opened in any way. If it does, don’t let it touch your skin.”_

Ghostbur turned, gesturing for Green to look towards his desk again. The yellow clad ghost brushed a few jars of dust and blue away, setting his own blue down with a small _Clack!_ Green saw his pull forward a jar full of dark blue, almost black, liquid forward. It sloshed back and forth slowly, the thick substance seeming to stick to the glass where Ghostbur’s hands touched. Said man pulled away and the blue liquid seemed to lurched up in dismay before sadly settling down into itself.

 _“Blue takes away sadness, but it also gives it more form than it usually does. It looks for people to go to in order to dissipate if outside of blue, but it’s not too harmful. It is physical sadness though, so touching it has its consequences.”_ Ghostbur explained, popping off the lid and plopping in his blue. The stone didn’t make a splash when it hit the liquid, but a small clank sounded when it touched the other stones Green didn’t see before.

He could see chunks of broken, clear stone between the unbroken blue, both nearly invisible in the darkness of the physical emotion. Ghostbur placed the lid of the jar back on, flicking the clasps into place and putting everything back. His previous seriousness was gone when everything was in place, instead replaced with excitement as he chirped.

 _“You can make something similar! I’m unsure what emotion your’s would be, because I don’t really know what determines it in the first place.”_ Green shuffled his feet, a little unnerved at his friends sudden mood shift, but ignored it. Ghostbur fluttered about around him, searching around through drawers and looking over his chest before coming back and placing something on the desk.

Bottles of different dyes were placed in a row in front of him. Blue, cyan, green, pink, red, yellow, orange, magenta, purple, white, and grey. Green threw Ghostbur a questioning look. The other smiled cheerfully.

 _“Emotions are often associated with colors, but don’t need to follow them. I like to think that blue goes along with sadness because I like it. I wasn’t really thinking about the connection when I made my first blue.”_ Ghostbur felt he didn’t explain that well. _“Just pick the color you feel um… connected? With?”_

Ghostbur adjusted his beanie in a bit of embarrassment, he really didn’t know how to describe it to the younger ghost. He chose blue as his color subconsciously, so he tried to convey that the other should go with their gut.

…

Maybe he should have just said that in the first place.

Ignorant to the other’s internal embarrassment, Green looked over the colors. The one that caught his eye was the yellow. It was a nice color, he thought. It reminded Green of Ghostbur’s sweater, and the soft yellow flames of the fire. Green unconsciously moved his hand to touch the spirits resting in his hood. They still sat, nestled in the fabric of his hoodie, and let out small coos when his hand brushed over them.

Pulling away, Green gently grasped the neck of the bottle containing the yellow dye. He held it up to eye level, lightly shaking its contents. Ghostbur noticed, seemingly snapping out of his thoughts and beaming at him.

 _“Yellow! Yellow is a nice color. I can teach you how to make your color if you would like?”_ At Green’s nod, Ghostbur scooped up the jar of blue dust and opened it. He stuck his hand unto the wide lid and scooped out some of the dust, maybe half a palm’s worth. _“The amount doesn’t really matter too much right now, but I’ll show you later how much makes what size stone.”_

Green followed the older’s lead, uncorking the bottle of dye and tapping about a fourth of it onto his hand. The yellow dye piled up to cover about half his palm, like Ghostbur’s. Ghostbur gave him a grin, covering the hand with the dye with the other. Green copied.

 _“You might not get it right away, but you need to focus your energy on mixing your dye with this.”_ Ghostbur’s wisps seemed to condense, flickering down his arms and swirling around his hands, like it was waiting. _“This is our magic. It’s visible because well, we’re dead. Our magic is connected to our souls, and since we are basically our souls, it can be seen. Players take magic subconsciously from our worlds, but usually it’s not enough to perform spells without actively gathering it.”_

What Green now knew to be Ghostbur’s magic drifted lazily as it waited to be used.

 _“It’s easier to gather magic when there’s nothing separating you and your world’s energy. Ghost’s can use magic much easier than living players,”_ Ghostbur grinned at him cheekily. _“As long as you know the spells, that is. What we’re doing now is a type of nonverbal magic. While this is usually only achieved with a lot of practice with verbal magic, this one doesn’t even have a verbal form. That’s what makes it unique to ghosts, it’s one of the things you unconsciously know you can do after a while being dead.”_

Green soaked up the new information like a sponge, looking at Ghostbur with wonder in his gaze. Ghostbur preened at the look, happy to teach the younger.

 _“I can tell you more about ghostly magic and stuff later if you would like. Why don’t you give it a try for now?”_ Ghostbur finally allowed his magic to move to his dye. It sprung into a flurry of movement, excitedly twirling around the blue dust, mixing and shaping it to his desire. With practiced ease, Ghostbur lightly pressed his hands together, showing Green how the half formed stone squished under the pressure like playdough. He used his magic to form it into a smooth cube, unlike his usual ovals. He retracted the excess magic from around the stone and placed the finished product on his desk.

 _“That’s the clearest one yet!”_ Ghostbur exclaimed in delight. The square stone was, in fact, very clear. It was see through, even, with how little blue was trapped inside. It was barely noticeable, but the blue colorant tinted the inside just the slightest. Green grinned in excitement, both for his friend, and at the thought of using magic.

His own magic was flickering around him, showing how he was feeling. It waved and swirled warmly across his skin. He breathed deeply, trying to grasp onto the feeling of his magic. It was fast to reply, something in his chest shifting to life. He watched as the wisps of his magic calmed, as it waited for his direction. He willed it to move down his arms. After a few seconds, it slowly did so, rolling like thick water up his shoulders and down to his wrists where it gathered.

Ghostbur clapped, beaming at him. _“You’re great at this! I had trouble my first time, I was worried it would be that same for you, but it seems there’s no need.”_

Green’s chest felt warm at the praise, and he puffed up, grinning proudly. His magic seemed to react similarly, swirling with delight without his prompting. Green excitedly directed it to the yellow dye in his grasp. He was careful about the input, as he assumed Ghostbur did as well. He felt as the dust warmed and hardened a bit as he mixed his magic into it. He let his magic form it into a bumpy oval, resorting to using his fingers a bit when it got a bit difficult.

Green carefully wove his magic into the rest of it, letting it harden into a stone. When he was sure it was done, he let his magic go from his hold. It spread back to its original placing on his being, although with a bit smaller wisps than before. He proudly held up his creation to the older ghost, who smiled at him.

 _“Well done! You did really good for your first try, I'm very proud of you, Green!”_ Ghostbur placed a hand on his head and Green let out a huff as the older messed up his hair, but didn’t mind. Green let Ghostbur take the stone so he could look at it. It was perfectly see through, and Ghostbur couldn’t see a hint of the yellow that helped make its creation. Handing it back to the younger, he watched as Green stuffed the lumpy stone into his pant’s pocket.

 _“It seems we’ll have to wait on seeing what emotion it’s for, for now.”_ Ghostbur ruffled the younger’s hair again. _“How about we tell Phil about your accomplishment later? I’m sure he’ll be very excited for you. Maybe he has some old spell books you can look at.”_

Green nodded vigorously. Spell books? Hell yeah he wanted to get his hands on some of those.


	9. The Ghost With Crimson Horns

Green thumbed the stone in his pocket. Its surface gave off a soft heat, warming his cold skin. Ghostbur had left to ask Phil about the spellbooks he’d mention, leaving the younger ghost to his thoughts. Green though, in all of what had happened in the past day and a half, he’d never checked his inventory. He didn’t really know what he expected when the familiar screen of his inventory filled the air in front of him. Usually, when you die, your inventory empties itself, no exception.

Except, for some reason, instead of a clean, empty inventory, Green found some spots taken. Plucking them from their places, he held four small items in his hands. A spool of black thread. A sewing needle. A small bunch of dried cornflower tied together with string. A light green rock.

Green racked his memory for when he’d gather such a weird combination of objects, but came up blank. Staring blankly down at the items in his hands, he heard Ghostbur open the door behind him. A flick of his wrist had them back in his inventory. Swiveling his head to look at the older, Green watched the yellow ghost plonk down three thick, old looking books down on his bed.

 _“I got them!”_ Ghostbur turned to him with a grin, hands triumphantly placed on his hips. “Phil was happy to give them to me when I said you wanted to learn more magic. He and Techno are getting ready for tonight, by the way, so we won’t see much of them today I don’t think.”

Green nodded, moving over and picking up the top book.

 _“Phil told me he couldn’t read galactic very well anyway. Said there’s a page in the back that translates the letters, but never had time to learn or translate.”_ Ghostbur’s tone was slightly apologetic. _“I can help you with writing everything down in English, if you would like?”_

Green shook his head, giving the older a thankful grin, but waving him off nonetheless. He took a few seconds to write down his message before giving it to the Ghostbur and cracking open the first ancient tomb of a book.

 _‘I can read galactic, don’t worry :) I’ll have to thank Phil later for these.’_ Ghostbur looked baffled for a moment before making a sound of interest.

 _“Oh! That’s cool. Dream never mentioned anything about it, or knowing, so I guess I just assumed.”_ The older ghost sat next to Green on the bed. He glanced hesitantly at the guitar leaning against the bed, before gently grabbing the neck and pulling it onto his lap. Nervously wiping the thin layer of dust from its surface, Ghostbur looked to Green. The other stared back curiously, having had his attention drawn from his book. Ghostbur cleared his throat.

_“Would- would you like me to play for you? While you’re reading, that is.”_

______________________________________________________________

Techno paced impatiently, hooves tapping softly with each step. Stopping in front of the brewing stands, he checked the potions. Night vision. Popping a fermented spider eye into each empty stand, he proceed to straighten his back and grab the whetstone from his inventory. Another flick of his wrist had his axe in hand. He sat on a nearby chest to sharpen his axe while he waited.

A little while later he faintly heard someone coming up the ladder, turning his attention in time to see Phil’s head pop up from the lower floor. His large wings had to be pinned close to his back in order to get through. Techno should probably make the entrance a bit bigger.

P. Neither said a word. The pink hair man merely scooted over to make room for the older. They sat together in comfortable silence, listening to the soft, muffled strumming of a guitar.

_________________________________________________________________

Tommy sat at the island connecting the kitchen and living room, hair still damp and holding the pants he’d been wearing earlier. He was now in a too large t-shirt and baggy jeans. His lips pursed in frustration, he once again tried to thread his needle. God, he hated sewing.

_________________________________________________________________

Darkness came fast in the winter. So everyone agreed it was best to go long after the sun went down, to ensure everyone would be asleep. It was nearing midnight, and Techno checked his inventory twice over before deciding it was time. His axe, armor, a shield, golden apples, and enough splash potions of invisibility to last them six hours.

Phil stood next to him in the snow in front of the house. The torches scattered across the ground gave off a faint glow. Green kicked up a bit of snow a few feet, making sure to aim it away from Ghostbur when a said man gave a shriek the one time he did. Techno had somehow managed to convince the youngest live member of the group to stay at the house. He thought it best not for the kid to see the body just yet.

Waving them over, he adjusted his cloak once more before starting towards the portal. Phil and the two ghosts following close behind. Green gave a small wave behind him as two blobs of lights darted back towards the forest. After a few minutes of travel, familiar purple swirls came into view.

Stepping through, Techno felt himself relax a bit. The heat immediately melted any snow and dried what was dampened. Even with the extra layers meant for the cold, his temperature steadily dropped to a comfortable degree, and for once he was grateful for his piglin blood.

Phil, on the other hand, shuffled uncomfortably as he stepped out of the portal, tugging off his cloak and stripping himself of the thick fur clothes he wore over his regular ones. He let it disappear into his inventory, stepping up behind Techno as the other started the journey towards the portal hub. Green and Ghostbur followed after. Green hummed at the warm air, liking how it warmed him.

Walking with a slight bounce in his step, Green focused on what Ghostbur had told him earlier that day. The magic around you gives you form, thinning it is what gives you the ability to go through things. Directing that thinned magic with the intent for you to go with it does just that. Green was trying to thin out his magic. It was harder than it sounded, but he was managing. Ghostbur hadn’t specified how little he needed, so he tried to be prepared.

With another few wisps of his magic dispersed, Green suddenly felt weightless, much more so than usual. His heart dropped to his stomach as the feeling of netherrack under his feet disappeared. Letting out a shriek of surprise, Green felt himself drop. A small, useless voice in the back of his head noted that his throat felt much better that morning.

The three in front of him whirled around, Techno and Phil with weapons drawn. Green’s magic quickly summoned itself to him as his concentration broke. It wrapped itself thickly around him, solidifying his form halfway into the netherrack. So there he sat, wide eyed and buried up to his armpits. His arms were stretched out in front of him, nails digging into the dry, nearly rock hard soil.

Techno slid his sword back in place, covering his face with his hand in exasperation. Phil couldn’t help but let out a snort, quickly covering it up with a cough when he saw the boy’s distressed state. Ghostbur giggled, using his own magic to wrap around and disperse Green’s. It pulled the now transparent boy up and out of his rocky prison. Green looked sheepish, and gave him a nod of thanks.

 _“I don’t think the Nether is the best place to practice phasing. Falling into lava isn’t nearly as pleasant as it looks.”_ Ghostbur informed factually. Phil shot him an alarmed look, but the yellow ghost either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Green nodded, brushing off dust that wasn’t there. When they started moving again, he glanced untrustingly at the netherrack, even if he knew it was his own fault.

When the group got to the hub, Ghostbur drifted above them. With the older ghost out of splash range, Techno retrieved an invisibility potion from his inventory. The shattering of glass left only Ghostbur visible. Techno’s armor was carefully tucked into his inventory, as well as his weapons.

Green watched his friend walk into the portal, followed by little swirls that wouldn’t be visible unless you were looking. He followed after the others after a moment of observing where his hand should be when he raised it.

Stepping out, Green kept his focus on not losing Ghostbur in the night.

________________________________________________________________

Green was completely and utterly lost. Ghostbur had taken a sharp turn a while back, and when he’d rushed to follow, the other was no longer there. No particles to follow, no murmuring from Ghostbur to make sure they were there, and no footsteps so listen for.

He wandered for a bit, trying to think back to the night before the last as to something he could follow. He remembered houses. Houses that Ghostbur had pointed out to him, and told him who they belonged to. He remembered that they passed someone named ‘Tubbo’’s house.

While he searched, he felt the potion starting to wear off. He knew he couldn’t be seen, so he needed to be fast. Further down the long path he found himself on, he saw the dim light of what he assumed to be lanterns. He made his way towards them, his light jog turning into a sprint when he caught a glimpse of his very pale, very visible hand.

Green knew that if anyone saw him they’d ask questions, and from previous conversation, Phil, and especially techno, didn’t seem welcome there. Passing by small, scattering buildings, he eventually ran into what looked to be the town square. All the lights were out, and the only noise heard was the chirping of crickets. He was pleasantly surprised at the fact that it was somewhat familiar.

Looking for a place to hide till he either caught sight of the others or the others came looking for him, he didn’t notice the person right in front of him. Until he tried to run away from the stupidly open area, only to slam right into them. With a small oof, he stumbled back. A hand on his shoulder steadied him before he could fall.

 _“Watch where you’re goin’ kid.”_ A voice muttered. Startled, Green looked up. Pure white eyes stared back, giving off the faintest glow in the darkness of night. Dark hair was messy, but still somewhat styled, curling around what looked to Green like either sheep or goat ears. The answer was settled with the large ram horns nestled against the sides of his head.

The dark, red color of them didn’t seem like their natural color. Green didn’t know why, but he felt crimson didn’t fit the man. The tips of his horns weren’t pointed or round like they should be. Instead, the ends were flat and smooth, like whatever happened, happened a long time ago. He had mutton chops and a blue sweater. It looked like Ghostbur’s, except for the heart settled over the left of the man’s chest. It was colored the same as his horns.

 _“Sorry.”_ Green kept his words a little above a whisper, and it seemed to help keep his throat from hurting too much. He didn’t really bring anything for writing with him, and it was getting better faster than expected.

The man’s ear flicked, and he casually crossed his arms. His colorless eyes seemed to observe him for just a moment before speaking.

 _“Don’t worry about it kid. What are you doin’ out here, anyway? I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”_ The man leaned against the fence behind him, kicking one leg in front of the other. Green noticed the slight echo to his words the second time around, and if he’d had any doubts of the horned man being a ghost, they were gone.

 _“Separated.”_ He said simply. The man’s eyebrows rose a bit in surprise.

 _“You must be the kid Wilbur’s freaking out about.”_ Green furrowed his brow, and the ram hybrid took notice.

_“Ghostbur.”_

_“Oh.”_ Green murmured. The horned man seemed to contemplate his choices for a moment, before standing to full height, stretching his back and then going back to semi-slouching. He stuck his hands in his pants pockets and nodded his head to follow.

_“C’mon, I’ll take you to them. They’re gonna wake the town with the racket they’re making.”_

Green didn’t know how much he trusted the new man, but he didn’t really have a choice with how terribly he knew his way around.

 _“What’s your name?”_ Green asked hesitantly, jogging to catch up and slowing down to walk alongside the taller man. The horned man hummed, glancing over with his colorless eyes.

 _“Jschlatt, Schlatt, doesn’t really matter.”_ He tilted his head, adding on as an afterthought, _“Or Glatt, if you want.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I'm nervous. I've been putting off writing because my dumb ass couldn't keep my big mouth shut. I know i literally posted this anonymously bc i didn't want anyone to know but I got excited and blabbed about me writing and now my friend that is also in the fandom wants to read this. I somehow got into the predicament of telling her that when I next posted I'd give her the tag with the least amount of books.
> 
> I said she could read this if she found it, and i'm not gonna lie I've given a lot of major hints purely out of excitement so it's going to be really easy. I'm getting her to sort by posted but I don't have much time. Remember me when I'm gone ;-; why am i so stupid. i keep flipping between 'it's not that bad, you'll be fine' and 'HOLY SHIT WE'RE GOING TO DIE FROM EMBARRASSMENT' 
> 
> If you're reading this right now, dearest friend, that means you've either skipped to all the notes or read the entire thing. I hope you know i'm dying inside right now :)  
> update: she found it before i finished the chapter, and i almost died. I’m going to type the rest now. Extra for the wait, sorry.


	10. To Find A Boy Frozen In Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shlatt's POV half the time.   
> Finding a body.  
> Techno's shock.
> 
> WARNING!!!!! DESCRIPTIONS OF A DEAD BODY IN THIS CHAPTER BUT IF YOU GOT PAST THE FIRST CHAPTER YOU'LL BE FINE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while. I'm super fuckin sorry about not updating. I just haven't been in a writing mood like, at all and didn't realize how long it'd been. There's a shit ton of yall clickin' on this. 16k hits? holy shit you guys, I know it's late to say this, but I honestly thought I'd get 100 max. My writing style is all over the place, oof, but I think I'm getting it down somewhat. I feel really bad about not updating, but I can't promise a constant schedule. 
> 
> I drew Green for you all, but I'm not sure how to post the image. It's really weird. Honestly, I think it'd be easier to just make a discord server, but I feel it'd be odd to have an entire server for one book/series. But I also kind of wanted to do it earlier for like, progress updates, art I plan on making for you guys, and just general hanging out. What do you guys think? I think it'd be fun
> 
> A/N update: I made it already. I got ahead of myself and I regret nothing bc I wanted to do something and I did it for once :) here's the invitation if you want to join: https://discord.gg/m8zMneCu

Ghostbur paced, hands gripping his hair. He anxiously ran his fingers through the dark strands, taking his beanie off before it could fall and holding it tightly.

_ “What if they found him? What if they caught him and we’ll never see him again? What if he’s lost!? He could be scared and he’d be all alone!”  _ He chittered nervously. His tone became louder in his panic. Techno placed a hand on his shoulder, then another. 

“Hey. Hey, it’ll be okay, just calm down Ghostbur. I’m sure he’s fine, we’ll find him.” He spoke softly to the upset ghost. Ghostbur’s eyes connected with his, and Techno could see small tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

“Besides,” He started, “even if they do find him, they have no reason to hurt him or act unkindly in any way, okay? They wouldn’t even know who he is right off the bat.” 

Ghostbur blinked, trying to erase the gathering tears. He swallowed hard before taking a deep breath, exhaling shakily. Nodding at the younger’s words, he slowly calmed himself down.

_ “You’re right. Of course you’re right. I’m sorry, I just got worried.” _ He muttered, looking away. He let go of where he’d been gripping Techno’s hands. 

A few minutes prior the potion had worn off and revealed someone missing from their small party. Ghostbur, realizing that, had frantically sprinted from where they came, losing control of his magic in the process. This had allowed Phil to grab and pull the younger into a nearby hiding place in order to assess the situation. 

With Ghostbur pacing wall to wall in the small alley they’d been drug into, the trio didn’t notice the eyes staring from above. Scratching lightly at his ear, Schlatt huffed softly. Pulling the neck of his sweater up to cover his mouth, he let his eyes close at the warmth of it. Opening them after a few seconds, he sent one last glance to the people below him before turning away.

_ Not my problem.  _ He thought, stepping carelessly off the roof of the house he was on. He fell, landing on his feet without noise. The wind didn’t ruffle his hair, nor his clothes. It merely passed through his form, and he shuddered at the unpleasant feeling. Even after months of being a ghost, he still couldn’t get used to it.

Letting his magic carry him, Schlatt was in the middle of town in minutes. He lazily looked to the cluster of houses not far from him. Setting his sights on a certain house, he noticed the lights were out, just like all the others.

_ Good,  _ he looked away, towards the waters,  _ he’s been working himself too hard. At least he hasn’t been staying up so late lately. _

He stood there, just staring for a while. The calm, rhythmic sound of water lapping against the piers giving a sense of comfort. Right as he was going to look away and start walking once more, he felt something collide with him. Schlatt looked down, slightly dumbfounded at the young boy in front of him. 

_ That’s weird. He shouldn’t be able to see me, let alone make contact.  _ He bit the inside of his cheek, eyebrows furrowed almost unnoticeably. 

_ “Watch where you’re goin’ kid.” _ Schlatt grumbled. There was no heat behind his words. Observing the boy, he noticed the other doing the same. Blonde hair, green eyes, baggy clothes, and coming up little under his shoulders height wise. 

_ “Sorry.” _ Schlatt could barely hear the kid, he was so quiet. The younger’s voice held a faint echo. 

_ The kid hardly looks older than Tubbo.  _ He thought to himself. His ear flicked in unease. Crossing his arms, he gave the kid another once over before answering.

_ “Don’t worry about it kid. What are you doin’ out here, anyway? I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”  _ He crossed his arms, debating going solid as another brush of wind went through him again. God, he hated that. Leaning back against the fence, he glanced back out at the water for a moment before looking back to the kid.

_ “Separated.”  _ He answered curtly, digging at the wood with his heel. Schlatt couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, thinking back to the conversation he’d overheard earlier. This was probably who Wilbur was worrying about.

_ “You must be the kid Wilbur’s freaking out about.” _ He spoke about. At the younger’s confusion, he mentally facepalmed. 

_ “Ghostbur.”  _ Schlatt explained. Understanding crossed the younger’s face.

_ “Oh.” _

Schlatt thought for a moment, trying to decide if he should help or not. If that loud ass trio was still where he last saw them, it would be easy enough to take to the boy to them -and god damn, he needed the kid’s name. On the other hand, some weird shit was going on if the younger ghost could interact with him. Schlatt didn’t really want to be seen, and at the moment, he didn’t know if he still had a choice not to be.

_ Fuck it. _ He decided. Hoisting himself up from his leaning position he stretched, missing the satisfying pop of bones that weren't currently there. That’s relieving, he doesn’t have physical bones to pop, so that means he probably isn’t visible to anyone besides the kid.

_ “C’mon, I’ll take you to them. They’re gonna wake the town with the racket they’re making.” _

As he started walking, Schlatt could just feel the hesitance rolling off the other. It was understandable, not wanting to follow someone you just met. Either way, he still felt the other's presence as the younger jogged to catch up.

Blondie (as Schlatt decided to call him until he got his name) was quiet a few seconds. Schlatt moved his head side to side slightly, letting the weight of his horns tug his head down before tilting it the other direction unconsciously. He did this until Blondie spoke next to him, slowing to a walk as he finally caught up.

_ “What’s your name?” _

Schlatt stopped his head movement, glancing over at the younger ghost. Blondie kept his eyes ahead of him, not catching his gaze. He hummed, looking back ahead of him. What was his name? Schlatt, obviously, But was it really? He’s not the same person as when he was alive, no definitely not. Wilbur changed his name when he died because his lost memories that basically made him an entirely different person, but Schlatt remembered. He remembered  _ everything. _

_ “Jschlatt, Schlatt, doesn’t really matter.”  _ He tilted his head, letting his horn rest on his shoulder with the small movement.  _ “Or Glatt, if you want.” _

If he couldn’t decide, why not let the kid? Blondie looked over at him, not observing him, or judging, or even with recognition. He just stared. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it definitely was comfortable either. Schlatt met his eyes and the other looked away.

_ “Ghostbur and the others call me Green.” _ Green murmured. Schlatt raised an eyebrow. What kind of name is ‘Green’? Who names a child a color? He wouldn’t be surprised if Wilbur were the one to have given it to him, he’s always doing stupid shit like that.

_ “Good t’ know.” _ Schlatt said simply.  _ “We should get to the others in a few minutes if they haven’t gone to look for you yet.” _

He couldn’t hear them, so that was good at least, it meant they weren’t being loud asses. Schlatt nearly stumbled over himself when gray particles came rushing around the same corner they were. He would never admit to the startled yelp that escaped him when the invisible person ran straight through him.

“Green?” The particles came to a sudden halt as the person seemingly whipped their head around to do a double-take. Schlatt stood next to Green, not really processing as what little magic he still held with him detangled itself from Phil to return to him. 

_ “Hi, Phil.”  _ Came the whispered response from Green next to him. As soon as he was sorted, Schlatt stepped back into the shadows of a wall behind him, doing his best to mold himself into them and out of view. It was unnecessary, as Phil didn’t seem to see him in the first place. On the other hand, he’d rather not have it look like Green was talking to thin air like it was someone who everyone on the server thought to have been long gone. 

“Holy shit mate, where’d you go? Wilbu- Ghostbur freaked out when we couldn’t find you.”

_ “With Schlatt-”  _ Green paused, looking around.  _ “Schlatt?” _

Said man didn’t respond, closing his eyes so they couldn’t be seen in the dark. He heard the soft shuffling of feathers as Phil moved.

“C’mon mate, let’s get to the others.” Phil said softly. He seemed to intentionally ignore the mentions of Schlatt. The horned ghost opened his eyes just a smidge, barely enough to see the shallow indent of a hand on Green’s shoulder. The smaller ghost made a small noise of protest, still looking around, but allowed himself to be steered away. 

Schlatt left out a quiet sigh as they went out of view, faintly hearing shattering glass as a potion was used. The itch in his ear returned full force, and he scratched away as he climbed the side of the nearest building. 

It didn’t take long to find Wilbur and Techoblade from his viewpoint. Schlatt was quickly back at his position of staring down at them from the building roof next to them. Wilbur was pacing, much calmer than before, but still worried. Techno was leaned against a wall, watching with crossed arms and a bored look.

He looked calm, but Schlatt could see he wasn’t entirely. The long tail that the pigman usually kept neatly wrapped around his waist was unraveled, occasionally flicking out from behind his cloak. The brush-like end fwapped harshly against the floor and Schlatt’s ears flicked in annoyance at the dull sound. It was a few minutes before swirly gray particles came into view.

“Techno! Ghostbur!” Came Phil’s hushed whisper. Techno hurriedly pulled himself from his position on the wall, tail swishing wildly as he made his way towards his friend’s voice. Ghostbur did the same, stopping his pacing and rushing to meet where he thought the older man was.

Ghostbur got there first, standing in front of the larger group of particles. Schlatt could see Green’s smaller swirls behind Phil’s, hidden from the two visible men. Ghostbur looks worried.

_ “Did you find him, Phil? Is he okay?” _ The ghost said impatiently.

“Whoa Wil, calm down-.. he’d right here, he could even tell you himself.” Phil said gently, accidentally letting the old nickname slip. Schlatt raised an eyebrow, surprised when the blue ghost didn’t protest the name. From the quick silence that followed after he said it, he could tell Phil was too.

_ “Hi.”  _ Green whispered. The simple sentence sent Ghostbur into a flurry of speech that Schlatt merely tuned out. He really didn’t feel like listening to the older man being a mother hen.  _ Again. _

He only started listening again when he missed something Techno said, the man probably having mentioned getting going if his use of an invisibility potion were anything to go by. With how close Green and Phil’s particles were, Schlatt could infer the older man was either holding the others hand, or just making sure he didn’t get lost again by watching him.

The horned make weighed his options. Follow from behind and make sure the kid didn’t separate from the group again, as well as get some entertainment or; stay behind and make sure Tubbo doesn’t decide to ‘cause trouble on purpose again’ as he’d put it. Last time Schlatt left him alone when he thought he was asleep shit went down and Fundy ended up with a few bald spots on his tail for a while…

…

Tubbo should be fine. Schlatt followed behind Ghosbur, but kept a decent distance. He just hoped that at 1 am the young president was actually asleep.

___________________________________________________________

As the hour passed and the trees became thicker, Techno stopped using his invis pots and Phil did as well. They deemed themself far enough from town that no one would be around besides them. Techno, never having bothered to rewrap his tail, just let it swish around. Sometimes he’d swat at the ankle deep snow, kicking up snow that clumped against the underside of his cloak. The first time he did this, Phil shot him an amused look, and he promptly flipped him off. 

His high body temperature, however, was not enough to keep the cold away from his uncovered tail, so he eventually begrudgingly wound it back around his waist. With his distraction gone, the pink haired man took a look at his surroundings. They were coming up on a large clearing, and Techno could see small patches of cornflowers scattered around the ‘path’ they were taking. The small flowers were weak, wilted. Petals a sad gray-ish blue, they swayed lifelessly in the wind.

Across the field, nearing the treeline opposite them, Techno could see something poking out of the snow. Long and thin, lodged into something covered by snow and shadows, was a sword. Ghostbur had gone silent a few minutes back, merely slipping his hand into Green’s before continuing on. Sharing a look with Phil, Techno knew he saw it too. He sped up without thinking. 

The closer he got, the more he saw. His boot knocked into something half buried by the snow. Techno pulled it up, gently wiping the snow off it’s surface. Staring back at him was a half broken mask. A long crack slithered its way up the center, part of the smile was gone, along with the left eye. Blood dotted the cold porcelain, frozen to the surface. He dropped it. Blood red eyes were locked on the lump in the snow. 

Netherite gleamed darkly in the moonlight, mocking him. 

There, frozen in the snow, was the body of Dream. Cold, lifeless eyes stared unblinking, dull and uncaring towards the world. Frost tipped his hair, trailing down his cheeks, his neck, to cold blue lips. Blood trailed down from his mouth and nose. Pale hands loosely grasping at the blade of the sword that’d been run through his chest, cuts faintly visible under the dark gleam of the metal. Blood soaked through the once vibrant green of his hoodie, coloring it a dark red.

Phil came up next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, eyes grim. The reality of it all seemed to hit the piglin hybrid in the face. 

“One of us is going to have to remove the sword.”

“... I’ll do it.” Techno’s voice was quiet. He grabbed the hilt firmly, sucking in a soft breath before pulling. The sickening squelch of cutting flesh and bone rang out in the cold night air. Ghostbur flinched behind him, and Techno winced. When usually he would be dismissive, sometimes even satisfied by the sound, this time it just made him sick.

The sword dropped from his hand with a dull thud, and he moved to collect the body. Behind him, Green picked up the mask he’s left in the snow, either ignoring what was happening, or just not caring. Cold, sticky blood coated the man’s hoodie, the ground around him, and now Techno’s hands. He bent down, reaching his arms around to the back of the stiff, ice cold body. 

His fingers dug into exposed, raw flesh and he froze. He tried to breath, but whenever he did, all he could smell was death. It was so potent in the air he could taste it, and it made his eyes sting. Phil stood next to him, an extra cloak he’d taken from his inventory ready in his arms and sympathy in his gaze. 

Techno picked up Dream’s body with little effort. The dead man’s head lulled stiffly forward when he did so, stopping to rest on his shoulder. Phil was quick to wrap the cloak around the body. The cloak wound tightly around him, starting from his neck and ending at his ankles. Techno could already see how the light blue fabric of it turned a shade darker around his chest and back.

“Ghostbur, take Green back to the house, please? We’ll meet you there, okay?” Phil said gently. The ghost nodded wordlessly, tugging Green up into the air. Green was still, just staring at the mask in his hands as he was pulled along.

They took the long way home. The trip through the nether would thaw the body. Techno didn’t put him down, didn’t say a word through the entire way back. Phil was kind of worried. He hadn’t known Dream well, and could only go off what his boys had told him. What he’d gathered was, as Tommy had so eloquently put it, ‘He’s mostly a dickward, but he’s nice sometimes.’ 

He could only watch as the younger male held Dream’s body, seemingly detached from his surroundings. 

Techno, on the other hand, didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do. People close to him had died before, sure, plenty, but that last time he got like this was when Wilbur died. That was the first, and only time he’d felt so gone from the world.

He barely noticed when their house came into view. 

He's had blood on his hands before, so many times he'd lost count at that point. That had been in battle, in war where no men were equal and no mercy was to be spared for the enemy. When blood had coated his being then, he'd basked in victory, but now?

Techno looked down at his hands. Dark, half-dried specks of blood dotted his pale skin, but the pride that came with war was not present, for this was not war. This was burying a friend. This was carrying an ally's dead body to a dark, cold hole where they'd be left to rot. To be forgotten in the earth. The body in his arms was cold, unbreathing, unseeing. Milky eyes stared up at him, but didn't see him.

The cloak around his shoulders warmed him, but he still felt cold. Phil was talking next to him, but his words were nothing but static in his ears. Techno didn't react when the older man gently took the body from his hold, didn't react when Phil left and came back ten minutes later, didn't react when he was directed towards the house. He didn't react when he caught a glimpse of Dream's body, covered by the snow near the porch, looking younger than he was. Like he was wrapped snugly in a white, fluffy blanket, asleep and never to wake up.


	11. Dreaming Of A Past Long Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream. Dream Techno is a whole nother kind of OOC. Dreams are weird and you do shit you normally don't.

_ Soft grass tickled his fingers. He gently tugged at it, turning his head slowly to look at his hand. Sunlight shone softly through the trees above him, casting a low, fuzzy light to the area around him. He shifted himself into a sitting position, looking abound. Everything around him seemed to be cast in a soft glow, muddled and familiar. His cloak was gone, as well as his crown, leaving Techno in his loose poet’s shirt, and pants that stopped at his ankles, leaving his hooves and feet exposed.  _

_ His ears caught the sound of voices, and he stood sluggishly. Turning around, he was suddenly looking at himself. Stumbling back in shock, he stared right at the doppleganger. The other didn’t seem to notice him, merely walking past him, and away from the voice chattering on behind him. _

_ “-so tulips give weakness. I know that for a fact because one time I made mushroom stew and Sapnap thought it would be a good idea to throw random flowers in while I wasn’t looking-” The man stopped to take a breath before continuing his babbling, “-because he heard something about flowers and mushroom stew giving different effects but didn’t bother researching anything, or even ask me.”  _

_ Techno remembered this. _

_ The other him seemingly ignored the man’s ramblings, giving no reaction to his story. The man, no, Dream basically deflated at the lack of response.  _

_ “Technoooo, c'mon, don’t ignore me.” He whined catching up to said man and attempting to drap himself over the other.  _

_ Techno  _ _ remembered _ _ this. Was… This a dream? Looking around, he realized that some things seemed more focused than others, mostly the things closest to himself. _

_ Dream Techo only let out a huff, brushing his hair from his face in annoyance. Techno followed after them, realizing that if he didn’t he might be left behind. _

_ Dream, after unsuccessfully getting dream Techno’s attention, opted to follow closely behind him. He boredly batted at the taller’s long braid, watching as it swung in time with its owner’s steps. Dream Techno merely swatted his hand behind his back, shooing Dream way like a misbehaving child. _

_ This was the day after Dream managed to convince him to hang out. He’d decided to ignore the other until they got to the field Dream insisted on going to, but the green man wasn’t having it. This was such a long time ago, why was it suddenly popping up now? _

_ Techno watched as Dream sneakily motioned to the trees surrounding the path they were taking. Between the trees, he could see a little blob of white.  _

_ He couldn’t help the scowl that graced his features at the sight of it. The familiar wide grin of Dream’s mask was plastered onto the body of a small blob, mischievous and evil. The little shit was more annoying than Tommy, and that was saying a lot. It did that little float thing that Dream’s blobs tended to do. Not walking, but not lifting off the ground, Techno would describe it like a very fast slug that didn’t leave a trail. That thing, as much as he hated to admit, creeped the shit out of him. _

_ Techno backed away as the tiny blob came forward, making a beeline towards dream him. A screech threatened to bubble from his throat when it lept at him, going through his form and sending ripples across his skin. Shivering at the feeling, he watched the blob make contact with the side of dream him’s face, a resounding smack following the collision. _

_ The other Techno let out a very quiet, surprised shriek, ripping the blob off his face and chucking it at the laughing man behind him when he realized what it was. His pink tinted skin was red on his left cheek. He glared at Dream and his blob, tail swishing to show his annoyance. Said man just cackled, one hand on his mask and the other around his stomach.  _

_ “Keep your creepy ass haunted doll away from me.” He hissed grumpily, giving up in his attempt at silence. Dream looked up at him, grinning behind his mask. _

_ “Oh c’mon Techno,” Dream started, holding up the blob in one hand and presenting it to him, “Nightmare here is adorable! How could he be creepy?” He cooed in faux innocence. That green bastard knew just how unsettling the little thing’s grin was. It was like it knew something he didn’t, and Techno didn’t like it. _

_ ‘Nightmare’ let out a small, innocent sounding squeak, imitating its owner’s tone. Dream Techo grimaced, and Techno did as well, even if he couldn’t be seen. Dream gave him the sense that he had rolled his eyes, not that Techno could see it. Nightmare wiggled his way into the blonde’s hood to rest and Dream let him. At least he got Techno’s attention.  _

_ Techno pressed a hand to his head, the feeling of his and his dream self’s thoughts weird as they both clumped together. He felt like he was separated in two, seeing everything from two perspectives. One as himself, knowing that what he was seeing was a dream, a memory. The other oblivious, simply living in the present, or past, for him. God, he was so confused. _

_ Dream Techno turned back to the trail, right before they stepped out into a clearing. Dream pushed past the taller boy, wading through the tall grass and flower mixture of the clearing. Dream Techno huffed his annoyance as he tried to follow, only to catch his fur on a small, barley growing blackberry bush hidden in the grass. Techno watched as his past self tugged his leg carefully away from the spiky plant, glad he hadn’t had his cloak at this point in time.  _

_ God, they were so young when this happened. How old were they? Fifteen? Maybe sixteen? Long before the SMP, he knew that for sure.  _

_ Techo watched his past self brush aside the green grass, trying to catch up to the shorter boy. How the hell was Dream getting through this so fast? His tail was straight out behind him, trying to keep him up as his hooves tangled with the grass. It seemed to want to keep him down, reluctant to let him go once it caught onto him. He stamped his foot a bit, trying to kick it off as it wrapped around his ankles. _

_ “Hurry up!” Dream called. Techno looked up, seeing the boy sitting low in the branches of an oak tree a little ways away, lightly swinging his legs. His lookalike huffed, doubling his efforts.  _

_ “I’m trying,” he half shouted back. “The damn grass keeps catching my fur or something.”  _

_ Dream looked down at the grass, tilting his head.  _

_ “I didn’t have that problem, maybe you just hit some dead stuff? It likes to catch on your feet because it's closer to the ground…” Dream suggested hesitantly. _

_ Techno looked down at his past self’s hooves, noting the lack of yellowing grass, and how the healthy grass seemed to loosen when Dream replied. The other him looked skeptical, but didn’t say anything. He instead reached down, untangling the blades of grass that had wound their way around the part of his foot just above where his hooves started.  _

_ Techno startled as the scene in front of him suddenly changed. The other him was no longer entangled in blades of grass, and instead leaned against the trunk of the oak tree. Dream was laying on the branch above his head, arms behind his head. _

_ “Ya know, Tech, I’ve always wanted to start a server.” He hummed, lazily swinging a leg below him. Adjusting his mask, he tilted his head in the direction of Techno.  _

_ Said pink haired boy had his eyes closed, one finger hooked over a small tusk. An old habit Techno had broken when he was seventeen.  _

_ “Don’t you have to be an admin to do that?” He murmured loud enough to the other to hear. Dream shifted onto his stomach, letting his hand hang over the side of the branch and flick one of Techno’s pointy ears. _

_ Letting out a hiss, Techno opened one eye to glare at the boy. He just knew his friend sported a shit eating grin under that stupid mask. _

_ “I found out something recently.” Techno could hear the amusement in the other’s voice. “And I think it’s pretty exciting.” _

_ “Just get to the point.” Techno slapped his hand away as Dream went for another poke. The green clothed boy persisted, so Techno grabbed his hand and yanked him from his branch. With a small yelp, Dream landed with a small thud against the ground but was otherwise unphased.  _

_ “I  _ am _ an admin.” He let out a few childish giggles of excitement, grin audible in his tone. Techno snorted, rolling his now open eyes. _

_ “That’s a lie. If you found out you were an admin you wouldn’t have stopped yapping about it as soon as your board appeared.” Techno gently swatted the boy’s side with his tail. _

_ “Say I believe you. What are you gonna do now?” Of course he believed Dream, who was he kidding? His best friend would never lie to him about something like this. Hell Dream wouldn’t even joke about it. _

_ “...I’ve gotta go train.” Dream’s mood dropped a bit, realizing the implication. Techno nodded, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him onto his feet. Dream slumped glumly. _

_ “I won’t be able to see you for a long time…” Techno bumped his shoulder to Dream’s at the words. He never really was the best at the emotions thing. Training new admins was a long process, usually taking years. They both knew this. They were silent for a few minutes, just watching the grass sway. _

_ “Where are you gonna make your server?” He tried to change the subject to something lighter, but they both knew it was just a distraction. Dream complied anyway. _

_ “I was thinking here, actually. Or well, the area, ya know?” Dream said, leaning next to Techno on the tree’s trunk. He nodded. Another silence washed over them. Dream was the first to break it. _

_ “I’m gonna miss you.” Techno didn’t say anything. _

_~~I’ll miss you too~~ “How long do you have.” It was less a question than a statement. _

_ “Next week.”  _

_ “...” _

_ The world seemed to fuzz a bit as Techno forcefully pulled himself away from the scene. What the hell? He felt like he was in a trance, focused on nothing but what was happening in front of him. He drowned out the next few minutes of conversation, trying to gather his thoughts. He was rudely interrupted by a loud shout from Dream. _

_ “That’s it! No more moping, we have one more week together and it’s going to be fun!” He declared suddenly. _

_ Younger him had wrapped his tail loosely around his ankle, jerking away from the masked teen in surprise. Techno couldn’t help but slap a hand to his forehead as the other him went tumbling, having been shoved towards the grass by Dream himself.  _

_ “You ass!” He said, landing on his side and flopping onto his back. _

_ Techno’s vision spun when the other him went to stand. He pushed a hand to his head, watching as the younger version of him mirrored the action. Whatever positive atmosphere that had been there was gone now. _

Voices flittered around his half awake mind. His brain faintly registered it as Phil and Wilbur. His brother sounded softer than usual. He shifted his head slightly, sinking into the soft pillows and warm blankets. A few thoughts came and went, moving on before he could fully understand their meaning. 

‘Go back to sleep,’ he grumbled to himself in his head, barely comprehending what he was actually thinking, ‘Wil has animal duty tomorrow, we don’t have to wake up early.’

He once again slipped into the dream.

_ Feeling a sudden tug in his stomach, he had barely any warning before he was pulled into a first-person point of view. _

_ His surroundings flickered briefly. Day became night. The tall grass became calf deep snow. The oak tree was reduced to a stump, buried in the snow. Across the field a sword was stuck halfway into the ground.  _

_ He was back in a split second. For the first time, his dream split from memory. Dream’s hand was on his shoulder, asking if he was okay. _

_ “Y-Yeah.” He stuttered, covering it up as a cough. He was sitting on the grass, Dream was crouched next to him. Green swaddled around them like a cocoon. The tops of the grass were a few inches above their heads. He moved to get up, but felt something under his right palm. Techno curled his hand, confused, feeling soft petals bend under his fingers. He pulled his hand up to look. A poppy. Half crushed petals drooped sadly. _

_ ‘That’s weird. I only ever saw cornflowers and daisies in this area.’ He thought, absentmindedly taking the hand Dream offered to him. He thought back to an old book he’d found in Phil’s library, long ago. He’d never really been one for flowers, but had a brief interest in their meaning. _

_ ‘Poppies… what did they mean again?’ He let the red flower drop from his hand. Dream was still, silently standing next to him. Everything seemed... darker.Techno turned to him, but the younger boy didn’t move an inch. He waved a hand in front of the Dream’s mask, concerned. The sun was quickly dipping below the trees behind him, unnaturally fast. When the last rays escaped the masked teen’s form, he dropped, slumping forward. Techno caught him, something pushing his growing panic and multiplying it ten fold. _

_ “Dream! Dream? Are you okay? Dream?” He said hurriedly. Something in the back of his mind scoffed at his panic. _

_ ‘Pathetic. Get a hold of yourself. For someone so strong, you’re showing such weakness like emotion.’ It hissed. Techo took a breath, trying to push down his swelling feelings. Calm. Calm down. Panicking will get you nowhere.  _

_ He adjusted his hold on the smaller boy, trying to make sure he didn’t accidentally drop him. Techno wrapped his arms around the other's waist and under his armpits, hauling him up as he slipped down in his arms. The bottom of Dream’s mask caught on his shoulder, sliding up a bit. Techno froze. _

_ A glimpse of red caught his vision.  _

_ Everything in him told him not to look. Unseen hands pulled at him, invisible strings wound around his limbs, tugging at him like he was a mear puppet as his actions were suddenly not his own. He was forced to turn his head. _

_ Techno watched, shoving down any horror he felt down to the best of his abilities. His lungs didn’t, so he held his breath.  _

_ Blood dripped onto his shoulder. Dream’s mask slipped from his face. Pale eyes met his, cloudy and gray. Red ran like water from his lips, and Techno could feel the back of the boy’s hoodie begin to warm with the same liquid as it soaked through. Small wisps of blue peeked out from his hood where Nightmare had still been, sleeping. _

_ “Techno.” He whispered, a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. _

_ “Techno.” He sounded more panicked. _

_ “Techno!” That.. that wasn’t Dream’s voice? _

“Techno! Techno get up, Green’s missing!” Phil stood over him, hands on his shoulders as he shook him awake. Techno sat up groggily before his mind registered what the blond man just said.

**_“What?”_ **

_ Techno’s chest refused to rise, Dream’s heart refused to beat. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Techno’s tail. While I know pigs’ tails don’t have a lot of uses, in Techo’s case, I'll be explaining it as the need for balance. Tails balance out any issues that may occur with the appearance of hooves, specifically with piglin hybrids in this case. In Techno’s case, he has elongated foot bones and walks on his hooves, like pigs (obviously), deer, horses, cows, etc,. He keeps his tail tucked under his shirt when in cold areas, and instead wears boots to help him with walking in the snow without his tail for any balance. He prefers not to have his boots if he doesn’t need them. His tail is semi-prehensile and can pick up items like bottles, lightweight weapons, and some books. This is bc no reason other than bc I want to :)
> 
> Join the https://discord.gg/Hk73XhBB8V


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